Blog

Many of us are aware of the benefits of adding berries, spinach, olive oil, and garlic to our diets—in addition to being delicious, these ‘superfoods’ can help us avoid illness and improve well-being. What if such a thing existed for the workplace as well?

Despite the accessibility of digital technology, there remains a notable disconnect between the tech-savvy and those struggling to find a place in the digital nation. This isn’t a problem that can be overcome with any urgency, but it’s imperative that the educational system continues to pivot curriculums towards digital skills. Programming, AI development, machine learning, analytics, data-driven strategy: if business is to adapt at all levels, it will need a formidable baseline of understanding.

Over two years ago we set a goal of engaging 1,000 employers in the TPM strategy to help them build those partnerships and create sustainable pipelines of skilled talent for their industry. Since TPM’s launch, we have surpassed that goal. Today, more than 1,500 employers across 26 states are using TPM as their strategy to address their talent needs. And while we are excited about the energy within the TPM movement, exceeding our goal is not permission to slow down.

National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) - observed every October - was created to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity. The 2018 NCSAM overarching theme, “Our Shared Responsibility,” centers around the idea that we must work together to improve our nation’s cybersecurity and create opportunities for changing behaviors online among consumers, students, and business.

Several years ago when my wife’s parents were moving homes, they found an old notebook. It contained meticulous handwritten records of swimming races from the 1980s. In towns across the state of Indiana, over many years, my wife and her three sisters swam hundreds of races.

Over the past 10 years, the state of Georgia has aggressively invested in linking public education with the needs of industry by creating a statewide network of 46 College and Career Academies, while significantly expanding dual enrollment, industry apprenticeships, and post-secondary opportunities for high school students. These opportunities allow students to obtain industry credentials for quality, in-demand jobs that meet the needs of each community’s workforce.

Like many countries around the world, the United States faces a shortage of highly-skilled science and technology workers. In the past decade, employment growth in STEM occupations has markedly outpaced growth in non-STEM occupations, and while there will be an estimated 3.4 million STEM jobs available between 2015 to 2025, only about 1.4 million workers will be qualified to fill them, according to a study by Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute. ExxonMobil is taking this challenge head on – but it’s not doing so alone.

A yet to be released report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation STEM Scholars program reveals student knowledge gains, behaviors, and attitudinal changes across the country. The findings provide an analysis of data from more than 4,000 students in 27 schools across Michigan, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Texas. Overall, findings suggest that connecting students’ personal interests and strengths to STEM skills helps students better see themselves in STEM.